A long time ago (over 5 years) in a faraway land (NYC) lived a size 4/6 princess that worked in a magical store (The Gap). And oh how the princess loved to shop (w/the bad credit to prove it). Such cute clothes, fitted just so. Final appearance was never an issue. Jeans? Why the princess had them in every color imaginable w/no tummy flab to ruin the fit.

But alas, said princess grew up and out and has now come to loathe shopping.

Yesterday our fair maiden reluctantly headed to Ye Olde Targay for some regal attire. Shopping @ Ye Olde Targay is nothing like the golden days @ The Gap. B/c you see @ Ye Olde Targay the princess shops not based on cuteness factor, but on girth factor.

Will I be able to breathe?

Will this cut off my circulation?

Is there elastic?

These days the princess considers it a good shopping day if she can find anything with an L or 16 on the label. Oh and it must be black. Or gray. Dark gray. Navy is nice. But never pastel. Or white. Or pink.

Quickly the princess heads to the clearance rack (no longer privy by royal decree to employee discounts) and first scans the rack for the labels. Then price. Finding the proper label, she pulls out the item and with flushed cheeks (not noticeable on brown skin) adds it to her cart. Please let it fit. And conceal, but mainly fit.

After a few excruciating laps around the clearance rack, the princess picks up a few random items. Things like garbage bags, a nail file, a can of nuts (you know, one-stop shopping & all), then she's off to greet the kindly cashier. No trips to the dressing room for her. She?ll try them on in the comfort of her strategically dim lighted castle.

The considerate princess then takes off all the hangers and neatly folds the clothes into neat piles (can't break that retail habit) and prays that the kindly cashier won't hold up the size 16 pants by the waist, with both arms extended, just to find the price tag.

I'm really not that wide. Am I?

Safely seated in the royal carriage, she heads home. Cheeks still flushed as she wonders how on earth she went from chic to frump. Back @ the castle, she lugs her treasures inside and thinks to herself, that is the last time I am banished to the land of L's and 16's.

She furiously plans her workout for the next day.

Will our princess continue to shop by only looking @ the label?

Did her circulation get cut off?

Is she really that wide?

To be continued...

Err...you mean I got thru an entire weekend w/nary a vegetable passing my lips and still managed to eat 45-50gms of fiber? God Bless you Fiber One!

This week I'm going down to 1 serving. It's safe to say all the fast food gunk from the first ? of the year has been cleared out. Trust me. I know.

I went to the Big Publix yesterday afternoon to get my staples for the week. They had my precious Fiber One on sale @ 2 for 5 bucks, but had one box left. WTF?!?! On the way home I stopped by the Lil Publix on to get my two boxes. Last week I got 2 for 5 bucks Cheerios. I'm in cereal heaven.

I also forgot to get peaches @ Big P. But poor Lil P was no help. It was in bad shape. I have never seen empty fruit bins. There was nothing. Over the weekend the delivery trucks must have been held up due to the storm. The produce selections were slim pickens. I ended up getting some mini bananas instead of peaches and promptly forgot to bring them in this morning.

Joined today. Yes Rebecca one more thing to burn you out and make you .

Heh

@ some point last night I got really excited to wake up and walk this morning. Out of the blue I just got really antsy looking forward to it. After about 15 mins I wondered what the HELL was I thinking yesterday....

Like clockwork the sweat starts to fall @ the 20 min mark. That amazes me. I fought off the urge to hold onto the handles today, instead I kept scanning my progress. It didn't help that today episodes of Full House ranked high on the cheesiness factor. *groan*

Day 10

GAK! I inadvertenly set the mph @ 3.5 during Couch to 5k this AM. I couldn't figure out why I was a tad more winded than usual after jogging. I chalked it up to that strenuous [/end sarcasm] extra 30 seconds that I've added moving up from 60 to 90 secs. When I was done & logged my mileage, I saw last week I was @ 3.0, oh well. I've really gotta start reading my notes better. Then again I don't think str8 that early in the AM.

I've been jumping rope @ the end of my walks. Today I did it between figuring it makes more sense to get it down while my ♥ rate was still up vs. doing it after I did my cool down.

Let's see, a few other things I wanted to note: overall my endurance is improving, I realized today my skin wasn't itching like crazy as it was last Sunday, my fingers aren't exactly swollen, but the tips are really tight. I've been sipping water every few minutes I walk, but I may need to work on getting more in thruout the day.

Aside from the jogging time increasing on Couch to 5k, everything else stays this week. I'm going to tweak Ab Ripper 100 . Some of his lower ab moves has too much friction and aggravates my lower back. That's why I can't fully do Windsor Pilates, when she does that back roll thingy I lay on the mat and stare @ the screen w/a yea right look.

Instead of his moves, I'm stealing a few reverse crunches from Slim in 6 to work the lower abs.

Behind my left knee has been tight for a few days, I may start doing Slim & Limber @ the end of weight training this week. Yoga's been relaxing, but I think my muscles need the stretch a few times a week.

Tally of last weeks poll question: How much weight would you like to lose?
More than 61lbs - 36.6%
41-50lbs 17.1%
11-20lbs 14.6%
21-30lbs 12.2%
51-60lbs 12.2%
Less than 10lbs 4.9%
31-40lbs 2.4%

Total votes: 41

This weeks poll question: How many days a week do you work out?

I had my first dream in over a week last night. Other than that I've been sleeping like a log. Since I stayed in all day yesterday I had to fight off the urge to sleep. I lost the fight, but I made a deal 15 minutes and no deep snoozing. I kept the radio on, set the alarm for exactly 15 minutes and concentrated on the music. Just enough time too, any longer and I would hav been down for the count.

By 6 I started feeling too alert, I thought the nap would have thrown me off, but it didn't. I hit the snooze again this AM, but was already up and posing for the pudge pic by the time it went off again.

Day 9

You may have to live here to get the full gist of this but he is so on point.

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If you aren't from Atlanta let me tell you that we are a very winter-dysfunctional people.

The anticipation of snow is overwhelming. We really rarely actually get snow but we look forward to the possibility of a chance of snow every year. We have no release for our overwhelming need and want to have snow so that even when we get a small flurry, we go absolutely nutzo.

Once a winter storm begins in Central Asia, Atlanta meteorologists begin tracking it in the anticipation that it will hold its strength and deliver snow to Atlanta, which is some 60 million miles away.

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We know the anticipated possibility of a chance of a possible opportunity for a snow event is not critical until that night when the meteorologist gets on camera with his sleeves rolled up.

This is a non-verbal signal to the people of Atlanta that the anticipated snow 'event' is now close, say only 30 million miles away. Conversation at dinner stops, work stops, and the city is silent for seven minutes while the weatherman, his sleeves rolled up, begins to point to things on the map.

The Snow Event

The day of the event is a great media day. It begins with the early, early news, airing about 15 minutes after the late-night news. Protocol dictates that the early, early, news should start with interviews with D.O.T. workers.

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The D.O.T. workers come in and move the sand around their parking lot a couple of times with the bulldozers so the reporters can film it as they tell us, who are asleep, of the preparation plan.

Next, the D.O.T. spokesperson reads from the prepared statement telling us, while we're still asleep, that they are prepared. During this time thousands of news crews across the state begin to travel north to find a snow flake. They will compete to file the first story from their embedded positions in Pickens County.

By 5 a.m. reporters are running around alongside a road somewhere north of Atlanta yelling into their microphones describing to us how it feels to be out there where the snow may soon fall.

The first video of someone hitting a light pole at 12 miles per hour on a sheet of ice is soon aired.

The meteorologist returns to the screen and, in plain English, says to us several times, "Please don't drive in this weather unless you absolutely have to." We interpret this as: "Please get in your car and go to the grocery store and buy all the bread and milk you can!" (Bwahahahahahahahahaa!! He is NOT lying)

Cars now begin to fill the ice-covered streets driving first forwards, then backwards, then sideways. Cars slide down hills into other cars. Cars merging onto I-85 south from Ga. 400 hit an ice patch and continue across the lanes and into the wall.

The ditches are soon filled with cars and the tow trucks have a field day.

Two days later it's 65 degrees again and the bars are full of insurance adjusters swapping horror stories of dents and smashed fenders.

I'm sitting at home yelling at the kids because they aren't drinking enough milk.

I can't wait for spring.

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Hit the snooze button this AM. That's what I get for going to bed a whopping 30 minutes late, @ 9:30. Gotta admit the thought passed my mind to just lay there & take it easy today. Figure I'd make up my mind while snoozing. Eh, ended up getting up b/c I know the masses just lurvvvvvve the daily pudge pic...*snort*...so I comply. Since I was up, I went ahead got dressed and hit the gym.

It snowed/iced overnight. I'll go out when light breaks and take some pictures.

Day 8

Since I don't cook (evidenced by my NutriSystem dependence) I have no recipes to share. But I can spotlight a healthy snack I munched on earlier in the week. Who knows, it may inspire someone's grocery shopping over the weekend.

Availabilty
Peaches are available all year.

Facts
• Fat-free
• Saturated fat-free
• Sodium-free
• Cholesterol-free
• High in vitamin A
• A good source of vitamin C
• Peaches are the third most popular fruit grown in America.

How to Select and Store
The popular red blush on peaches may not always be a true sign of maturity. Choose peaches that have a yellow or creamy background, and that are fragrant, unblemished and not too hard. Because fresh peaches are highly perishable, don't buy more than you plan to use. Even when unripe, peaches spoil easily.

When peaches are ripe, it's best to eat them right away. If ripe peaches need to be stored, they can be placed in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days. Peaches that need to be ripened can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Peaches taste best when they're eaten at room temperature. So remember to take peaches out of the refrigerator one hour before eating. That way you'll really enjoy their sweet and juicy flavor!

Nutritional Information
Serving Size: 1 medium
Calories: 40
Fat: 0
Carbohydrates: 10g
Fiber: 2g
Sugars: 9g
Protein: 1g
Vitamin A: 2%
Vitamin C: 0%
Calcium: 10%
Iron: 0%

Fun and Easy Ways to Eat
• Add sliced peaches to cereal
• Top waffles and pancakes with peaches
• Make a breakfast parfait by layering peaches, low fat yogurt and crunchy cereal in a tall glass
• Mix peaches with low fat cottage cheese or yogurt
• Make a fruit salad with peaches, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, and bananas for a delicious fruity dessert
• Make a peach smoothie or shake by mixing peaches in a blender with bananas, 100% juice, and ice
• Bake, broil, or saute peach slices along with chicken
• Grill peach halves with barbecued chicken
• Add slices to frozen low fat yogurt or angel food cake for a sweet and refreshing dessert
• Pack a fresh peach for a snack or lunch

[sources: 1, 2]

My fruit choices are usually banana or apple. I saw something about peaches last week and that made me buy them. Hard to believe it was just lask week. I've only lived in GA for a few years where I see peaches on the license plates EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.

But I digress.

I'm always scared to buy peaches and plums. They are so fragile and I never get good ones. They are either too ripe or extremely under ripe. Sure I "pretend" I know what the hell I'm doing when I'm in the produce aisle. Touching them, clueless as to what it should feel like. Inspecting them, mainly looking for bug bites, and then finally picking them. How much is a pound? Sheesh I better get the small greenish ones with all the bruises.

But this week I did a good job. I got 4 peaches, and just finished the last one yesterday. I kept them in the fridge and after dinner they were a nice treat. Cold, firm & juicy. DEEEE-LISH!

So how do you eat your peaches?

I'm not carb conscious to the point of fanaticism, so I particularly liked this part of what he wrote:

The most fat you can hope to lose is 1-3 pounds a week. If you're losing more weight than that, you're not losing fat. You're losing water and muscle.

A good, healthy diet should look something like this:

Exercise every day. Weight train a few times a week.

Eat small portions throughout the day. Either eat six small meals, or three reasonable meals and have three small healthy snacks.

Eat unprocessed foods. In other words, foods that are as close to their natural state as possible (A twinky, for example, is not found in nature).

Have some of each of the five things at each meal. (Protein, Carbs, Fat, Fiber, Water.) Despite the Atkins people, your body really does need more Carbs than protein.

What will happen? At first, you won't lose as much weight. But you will lose inches. Your clothes will fit better. This is because you'll be gaining muscle as you lose fat. The muscle is denser, so you have the same number of pounds in less space.

(Notice that this is the opposite of the Ketosis plan, where the pounds come off before the inches. This time, the right weight is being lost.)

Then, pounds will follow. As you have a greater amount of muscle, your base metabolic rate will increase, and you'll be burning more calories just standing around.

Because you're constantly providing nutrients to your body, it won't feel as obligated to store the fat as tenaciously. And since you're constantly digesting, even that will burn more calories.

And then your body really will be a metabolic furnance. You really will be burning more calories. At a relaxed, safe, calm pace. The same gradual process that you took when you put the weight on.

If pounds are coming off but inches aren't, you're losing muscle, not fat, and you need to up your carb intake.

The good news is that the reverse is true as well--if the inches are coming off, but the pounds aren't, relax. Your weightlifting is paying off. You're gaining muscle at about the same rate you're losing fat. Your weight may be the same, but your state of health definitely isn't. [emphasis mine]

Maaahhhvelous!

-1

That's what the scale told me this morning. It took a while for me to see it clearly (brain being foggy and all). I stepped off and got back on. 180.5. Down 1lb.

@ first I was ambivalent. Prolly b/c earlier this week I was mentally chanting "179 or 180, 179 or 180, 179 or 180" over an over.

The next second I had those thoughts. You know those thoughts:

"A single freaking pound? Are you effing kidding me? How much cardio did I do this week? And I know it ain't no effing muscle b/c I've only lifted weights 2 effing days"

And b/c I'm a cynical chick, a few minutes later, they were gone.

Thanks to my hard earned cynicism I've become a realist. I know all the body retaining water, scale doesn't show true loss, body fat could have dropped, muscle could have built, depends on time of day you weigh, explanations.

I've spent over a year researching them and have the archives to prove it. So I don't fly off the handle or have unrealistic expectations. I view my body as a machine that knows it's doing despite what I feel it should do.

That miniscule 1lb drop grounded me.

Had I seen a big drop I would have chalked up last week's 4lb gain since New Year's Day of 181.5 to all those metabolism wrecking habits I wallowed in the last two weeks: eating one meal per day of only fast food or take out, excessive consumption of coke (a cola), sleeping in the afternoon, staying up till one, or skipping breakfast. Perhaps all of them.

That 1lb meant my ass actually *gasp* gained weight and I couldn't pretend I was just bloated or carbed up or retaining.

Then I thought hmmm 1lb in 1 week?

Silly rabbit, why it only reinforces my deepest belief that a weekly loss of 1-2lbs per week is safe and also strengthens my skepticism of any [INSERT THE NEW FAD DIET HERE] that brags that using their product you too can lose 5-10lbs in the first week.

For successful long-term weight loss, most studies recommend losing weight slowly. A rate of 0.5-1 lb (0.2-0.4 kg) per week is best, but even slower rates can result in substantial weight loss when applied over time (and, they are easier to achieve!).

So I got dressed, b/c I only weigh myself stark nekkid & Lord know how much the pudge pics' red 'kini weighs, and went down to the gym. That 1lb is NOT going to stop me from getting my workout on. Besides, I've got to learn how to run & 500 miles to accumulate.

When I was done & came back up, I plugged my stats in all the obligatory places, my NutriSystem weight journal, my paper chart, and finally Fitday. Oh FitDay, how I love thee.

Beloved Fitday made my morning. You see, silly me forgot what I said just one week ago today. It was Fitday, with it's graphically unpleasing colors (puke orange w/double puke green) and ugly Arial fonts (I'm a Verdana girl can't you tell), that reminded me of my mini goal.

5lbs in 5 weeks.

I'm right on time.

Looking @ it another way, had I not started working out or eating better and continued what I was doing, @ the rate I was trending since the first of the year, today I'd weigh in somewhere between 182-183.

This fat is going dooooooown.

I'm losing the concept of time. I forgot to turn off my cell phone and a one ring phone call woke me up. I checked the time and it was 10:30, I was only asleep for about 30-45 minutes, but I thought it was morning. The other morning I slept thru the nite and woke up thinking I'd only been asleep an hour. I think I stopped dreaming this week too.

Last night there must have been some super bowl or sporting event or reality finale, b/c my neighbors were EXREMELY noisy. Throughout the night the chatter in hall would wake me up. I finally woke up for good around 3:45 and just stayed up. No use forcing sleep for only an hour. When the alarm went off and I got up to take my good ole pudge pic I heard someone in the hall whine "I've only got 3 more hours to get some sleep". Whatever. Also the hallways smelled like NYC franks w/sauerkraut. Not an entirely unpleasant smell.

I have no idea what I ate on Wednesday that set my stomach rumbling yesterday but gratefully it's passed. The entire day it rumbled and groaned, very uncomfortable and quite gassy. It's all settled now, just the normal AM hunger pangs. It doesn't help to see a commercial for Sonic Big Breakfast Burrito or McDonald's Hot Cakes. But since I just had my yogurt and the pangs are gone, I can type those words w/o plotting a side trip on the way to work this morning.

Day 7

After a nice leisurely bike ride, that is really my excuse to watch cable and get a rare view of static free TV as I haven't had cable for years, I tried session 2 of Yoga Zone: Gentle Yoga .

I am quite impressed.

It was much more stretching, went slower and I wasn't gasping to keep up like session 1. Still not quite what I'm after, but it'll do for the next few weeks. @ one point I even felt a little tingle throughout my body.

I did wear my ♥ rate monitor to see if it would end up being as strenuous as Tuesday's session, but I won't wear it going forward. It feels counterproductive to be sitting cross legged w/my eyes closed @ the end of the program and the first thing I do when I open my eyes is check my stats.

I can NOT become that anal.

"I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed." - Michael Jordan

So tomorrow is the big weigh day. I should be all like *shrug* whatever *eyeroll*, but truth be told I'm a bit anxious. I almost want to skip it, but I wont. To me, avoiding it like a plague is the same as obsessing about it. It gives it too much importance.

The scale doesn't know I did the killer lunge/squat routine yesterday, or that today was the 3rd session of Couch to 5k and the jogging part is getting smoother. The scale doesn't know a week ago today my body hadn't had a deliberate drink of water in weeks. It doesn't know that in the last 6 days I've drunk 64-80oz. The scale doesn't know I haven't had a coke in over a week. The scale doesn't know I haven't napped any afternoon this week or that I've gone to bed by 9:30. The scale doesn't know I've woken up and hit the gym 5am this entire week. The scale doesn't know I've had 5 servings of fruits and veggies every day this week. Even Sunday. The scale doesn't know I've had a bowl of high fiber cereal for breakfast this entire week & not the coke & vending machine cookies like last week. The scale doesn't know I tried yoga.

The scale can only reflect so much. Sadly it knows so little.

My thighs are suspiciously quiet. They are scaring me.

I have yet to experience that post cardio euphoria any morning this week. It may be too early. Besides, my brain is still asleep for the first 20 minutes, right around the time the first sweat beads form. Up till then I'm operating on automatic. Kudos to the people that drive to the gym that early. I can't even get my hand eye coordination together to work the TV.

Now when I'm done, I do feel clear headed and alert, but not like boy I could keep doing that. Matter of fact by the time I get back upstairs, get online to update my stats I start getting drowsy.

On the other hand I'm extremely pumped (no pun) about the weights. Yesterday I was attacking them full steam I felt like I was in a gym. If it wasn't my apartment and I didn't have hardwood floors and a downstairs neighbor, I would have flung my dumbbells down after my bicep curls. Instead I just did some loud guttural grunts & strutted around. *snort*

@ the end of Power 90 Sculpt Level 1/2 & before Ab Ripper 100, I added two shoulder moves from the Shaping Up with Weights for Dummies video. Shoulder press & shoulder raises. Both promising to give a nice cap and curve to my shoulders. We?ll see. Friday I'll work them in @ the end of round right before the break.

I still felt queasy doing abs, but not as bad as Monday. At first look the abs work doesn't seem that tough, less than 5 minutes, but OH. MY. GAWD. do they scream @ me until I'm done.

As for the thighs, I may have gotten ahead of myself. Yesterday I had big plans and high hopes. I was going to put them thru the wringer. I said 10 of everything lower body. Ha!

So round one I did 10 walking lunges. Not enjoyable, but I could bear it. But round two's 10 walking lunge/squat? Uh check please.

It was the 10 squats in between the lunges that did me in. By the time I started the 3rd lunge I was wobbling like I was on a plank. Since I posted here I was going to do 10, I had images in my head of all these people sitting @ the edge of their seats waiting for me to get this done. By the lunge # 4.5 I said blog schmog, I'm doing 5 and calling it a day.

Besides I ended up concentrating more on the squat and had nothing left for the lunge. Since round 3 is pure squats why force it. Tomorrow I'll still do 10 walking lunges in both rounds, but during round 2 stick with 3 squats between the lunges.

I added AM/PM Stretch for Health to my wishlist. I was searching for GymRatt's (I so dig that name) suggestion, Karen Voight's Yoga Stretch, but Amazon didn't have it. Based on the reviews of AM/PM it sounds like what I'm looking for.

Added Morning Musings - my first thoughts after working out. May or may not be coherent.
Added Workouts - recaps, planning & observations.
Journal - all other wrting.

Someone left the a/c on in the gym...brrrr.

I had a pretty good work this AM, no obsessive time watching and no cartoons. Instead I watched Nick @ Nite and only checked the time when the show ended.

I did the weight loss pgm again. I went up to level 4 & it's cal per hour is 535 going 3.1mph & 7% incline. Easy peasy.

Shins are hurting a bit less and suprisingly my quads don't feel like anything happened yesterday. It may take 24 hours or so for the impact of yesterdays session to kick in.

This week has both flown by and dragged. The first week I start any program tends to drag, week 2 & 3 flies and all of a sudden I'm @ a month.

Day 6

Added food journal link to the navigation menu.

So the quads aren't feeling too sore today, little do they know what I have in store for them later *muah*

I still haven't reviewed the Shaping Up with Weights for Dummies to find the two shoulder moves I like. Going to bed early has put a damper in my late night activities. Now I'll have to do it right before I start my routine. Feh!

I also totally forgot about the walking lunges in Power 90 so I didn't have quite enough floor space on Monday to do them effectively. I'll have to clear the floor before I start today. Double Feh!

Walking lunges are done in the first round, the second round has squats in between each lunge & the final round is 3 sets of squats. (detailed breakdown of the entire workout here ). I'm gonna tweak them a bit.

For the first 3 weeks, my strength training plan is to do 10 reps for the lower, 12 for the upper body. I ½ way remembered that plan on Monday and ended up doing 10 of everything. I have a notebook where all this stuff is written down (yes I'm that anal.) but only glanced at it.

I was going to keep it a secret, but since my thighs don't read this blog I can share. Today I'm doing 10 walking lunges, 10 walking lunges w/10 squats in between and the final round is 3 sets of 10 squats. I'm giddy just imagining what the quads will feel like in the morning.

In some twisted way I'm starting to like hobbling along. I feel like it's my badge of honor for a job well done. Remember in Fight Club when the fighters would see each other during the day? They'd see a bruise and give each other a knowing look or a head nod. That's how I feel. Each wince up the stairs or grimace when I scratch my head makes me feel like I'm in some secret club.

In about 2 hours it'll be time to pay my dues.

Recapping my first yoga experience as promised.

It was aiiiight.

The Yoga Zone: Gentle Yoga was more strenuous than I imagined it would be. I thought d be laying there chanting ohm and relaxing my mind, instead I found myself racing to keep up with the instructor as he moved from one move to the next.

It is a beginners DVD but he explained most of the moves in such a matter of fact tone that most of it went over my head. ? way thru I thought to myself, I need to attend a yoga class @ least once. Being a perfectionist, I?ve got to know what the hell I?m doing @ all times and by going to an intro class I?ll @ least get enough of an overview I wouldn't feel so lost when I?m alone.

But back to the tape, it wasn't as relaxing as I wanted since we were jumping from move to move. I kept popping my head up to see what they were doing. Then there's my quick breath thing, I could have been panting b/c I was trying to keep up, but I also breathe very shallowly. The racing around exacerbated that.

While it did work out some kinks, it's now what I want right now. I?ll do the 2nd portion of the DVD tomorrow. I think I have another DVD from Yoga Zone, but I can't find it.

Slim in 6 does have a separate stretching pgm I could use. It's much slower and solely about stretching, but it's only 11 mins long & I was really looking for a 20 min routine. Besides I want to do Yoga, not necessarily stretching, but so I can get all blissed out, be zen-like :cool: and sit cross legged.

A couple of physical changes I've noticed this week.
- I used to have an annoying habit of waking up 10-15 minutes before the alarm goes off. It's returned, but not as annoying.
- My stomach is growling when I wake up and for the first time in a very long time it feels completely empty.
- When I wake up I'm wide awake & not @ all drowsy.

Remembering that 457 calorie per hour readout from a few days ago, rather than sporadically raise and lower the mph, I set my speed for 3.1 and a 5% incline. 2.8 didn't get my ♥ rate as high as I wanted it. And I realized that part of the reason my shins are still stinging is from walking so fast.

The pace was brisk and my ♥ rate never got higher than 150 and I had to pump my arms to get that #. The only downfall was I lost mileage. In the same time I did 3.9 miles @ the sporadice mph, today I did 3.39. Eh, can't have it all, or I can but not right now.

I decided to stop a bad habit I was forming, obsessively checking the time. This morning I realized it makes no sense, I'm walking for 60 minutes, I'm watching a 30 minute cartoon why am I suprised when ½ way thru the cartoon I've only walked 15 minutes?!?! I can code the hell out of a web page but sometimes I'm a real .

Example: The last few weeks I've been getting fellow NutriSystem members to review the foods they've tried so I can add it to my food review page. For one of the cereals I said it got soggy pretty quick, so quick by the time I added my banana it was all sogged up.

A wise member chimed in: Try adding the banana before the milk.

I never thought of that......I can't see the forest for the trees sometimes

Day 5

Man, every, and I mean EVERY part of me is sore. Parts I didn't even know existed. Behind my knee caps. Under my arms. This obscure area 3 inches above my navel, off to the right. And to the left. Man if I don't get some serious muskle growth I'm gonna scratch somebody.

I did some biking this PM using a preset pgm, hills level 3. It seemed doable. The levels correspond to these red lights that go up 10 notches. Level 3 maxed @ the 4th notch. I gotta take a picture to explain this better.

Anyhoo, I kept my eye on the ♥ rate monitor and laid off exerting myself when it got above 140. That didn't make it an easy ride though. I was DEE-renched when I was done. Methinks after getting in 80+oz of water the last few days I'm fully hydrated.

Then I hobbled back to my apartment and got on my yoga mat. Last December I stopped by Targay for some fitness DVDs. They told me going forward they will only carry Windsor Pilates and I already have that. So I headed next door to Media Play and got a couple of yoga DVDs. I even scored one for a penny. Yup. One whole cent. Said so on the price tag and after 30 minutes of checking, double checking & triple checking and realizing I was NOT leaving the store, they gave in. Heh. Actually the guy didn't even charge me for it. He rang up the other DVDs and just put the penny one in the bag.

Today I did Yoga Zone: Gentle Yoga (not the free one). There are 2 20 min routines. I, not knowing a thing about Yoga, did the first one.

Overall I liked it, it went fast but was strenuous. It has the plank and downward dog moves that p90 uses in it's power yoga segment. I loathe power yoga especially b/c in 90: you go down into a pushup. Not this one, you just hold your body up. That move left my arms shaking and feeling like noodles......I tell ya, one day I'm going to look back on all of this and laugh & laugh & laugh. Not anytime soon with the abs being sore and all.

Tomorrow I'll have a detailed post about my first Yoga experience.

I am sedentary.

Sadly, in today's world, a lot of people just sit around. They spend endless hour watching TV, and they hold jobs that require them to sit behind a desk for 8 or 9 or 10 hours a day engaging in virtually no physical movement at all. As a result, they are being diagnosed with chronic diseases like cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and respiratory ailments -- all related to a lack of regular physical exercise. [emphasis mine]

I sit @ work all day, drive to work, drive to the grocery store, drive to the movies, head to bed as soon I get home, sit in the movie theater almost every Saturday for @ least 2 movies in a row, surf online and when not online I'm watching DVDs.

To put it bluntly, I don't move.

It turns out that being a couch potato can kill you, literally.

That being the case being physical 7 days a week is diff't than working out 7 days a week. Don't let my schedule scare you, I will move every day but will only exert myself enough to call it a workout 6 days a week.

In fact, the more you use your body, the healthier it gets -- up to a point of course

[snip]

Physical activity gets everything moving in your body -- the blood, the oxygen, the nutrients, the cellular respiration, the nervous system, and so on. Sweating is good for you as well -- you sweat out toxins and replace the lost liquids by drinking fresh, clean water.

Here's my current regime, current meaning for the next 9½ weeks.

Workout
Deliberate Cardio - 60 mins 3x a week
Strength Training - 30-45 mins 3x a week
Physical
Couch to 5k - 20-30 mins 3x a week
Misc Cardio - 30-45 mins 5x a week
Flexibility - 20 mins 2x week minimum, ultimately daily

Explanation
Deliberate Cardio - most likely treadmill walking. I must keep my ♥ rate in the higher end of the Aerobic Zone (145-165) for the entire 45-60 mins session. That session does not include warm-up & cool down time (5 mins each).

Strength Training - I'll up the weights or reps every 3 weeks.

Couch to 5k - a running program that I'm slowing building on. I'm not trying to be a sprinter or run a marathon ( @ Rebecca), yet. So emphasis is on getting the thighs steadily pumping for the duration and to keep my ♥ rate in the high 120's - 130's. That's the lower end of the Aerobic Zone. (heart strengthening and size increasing, respiratory system improvement, increasing of the number and size of the blood vessels, lung capacity increasing)

Misc Cardio - Walking & biking. Neither is @ done a leisurely pace, but I'm not trying to be red-faced either. The walk follows Couch to 5k & is primarily a way for me to claim a solid hour. The bike ride in the afternoon is to stave off treadmill boredom.

Flexibility - this is a new one for me this year. I want to do some form of stretching 20 minutes daily, but I'm starting w/2x a week.

While it seems like a lot, it's not. Well okay it is but I'm not going for broke every day. I know what over training is. The emphasis to push myself is in the 60 min walk (4x week) and weights (3x week).

All other cardio is just me trying to get in daily activity. It's my way of making up for what I used to do when I lived in NYC and didn't have a car. Those 35 minute (one way) walks to work. The aimless walking for blocks and blocks and blocks in the Village (NYC) as I people watched. The "dammit" walking I was forced to do b/c I lived so freaking far out in the suburbs that I had to get to public transportation with my own two feet b/c Mom didn't feel like driving.

One of the reasons I've started posting so much in the AM is to get that daily pudge pic off the first page...just joking...NOT!....

I admit it, I get a pit in my stomach when I visit my own site and realize lawd have mercy, what have I done??? Then when the initial shock wears off, I find myself trying to compare them. Saying to myself..."I must be making progress b/c I looked waaaaayyyy more pudgy on day 1 vs. today". Aw hell who am I kidding. It's all pudge all over.

I am thinking of doing a weekly compare and contrast, not much can change overnight but I gotta have less pudge every 7 days right?

I left my lunch @ home.
AND I have no lunch money...pffft!

Ok I have two options, have a double sized salad, or have the normal size and a bowl of cereal. The latter nets me 66gms of fiber . My stomach has chimed in. It wants the double sized salad (50gms of fiber for the day). It's gonna be a long day.

Funny thing, as drowsy as I was yesterday, when I turned in @ 9pm, I couldn't sleep. My mind was racing. I didn't check the time b/c it would have made me anxious, but I think I fell asleep around 10. I tossed and turned and next thing I know I'm wide awake. I had this panicky feeling I either overlept or the alarm didn't go off. But it was still dark out. I so didn't want to check the time, but I did. Ten to 4. A WHOLE freaking hour earlier than necessary. *sigh* I didn't even try to go back to sleep, I just laid there and tried to remember some dreams I was having.

So I did Couch to 5k & a 45 min walk this morning. Last time I did Couch to 5k every few sessions I upped the speed. That method has it's pros and cons. This go round I'm sticking with my current mph, 3.0, till I can run comfortably. As for the 45 min walk, it's a preset pgm on the treadmill. I did level 3 which maxs out @ 2.8mph/6% incline. My ♥ rate never went above 135, even when I pumped my arms. According to the readout if I did that pace for an hours I'd burn 457 calories. I'll keep that in mind.

Day 4

Of all the things I've done today my biggest challenge from here on out is NO NAPPING. It doesn't help that my apartment is starting to get nice and toasty. No guarantees, but I'll try to be good. I could distract myself by doing something web related (start that photoblog) till dinner time.

Strength Training went well today. I'm doing Power 90 Sculpt Level 1/2 & Ab Ripper 100 for the next 10 weeks. My memory must be short b/c it went suprisingly well and short. I was prepared for an hour, well 45 minutes, but it was 30, 35 w/the abs. For the first 3 weeks I'm doing 10 reps of each exercise and 5 pushups, adding 5 more each week.

There is a 7/7/7 pushup move I'm opting out off. It's a wide push up, a normal pushup and a tricep pushup. I'm only doing the tricep pushup. The 7's have always killed me and this way I can concentrate on one area. I'll still get variety since the entire program is 3 rounds with pushup action in each round.

I had big plans to bust out with the boy pushups this year, but by the time I got my body all lined up and went down, I fell smack on my face ...

I also have Shaping Up with Weights for Dummies . It has 2 great shoulder moves I want to incorporate since I'm not doing the 90: program 100%. Today was a dry run so I could find the best spot to add the moves in. Plus I have to rewatch the tape to get the move down.

I am sore, but the pre workout stretch helped. Not with the squats though, I just couldn't get my aching thighs to go deep. I'm really looking forward to Yoga tomorrow. Abs killed me, I started feel nauseous. I had that feeling before when I first started doing weight related work outs. When I was done I hopped in bed, turned to reach for something and felt a sharp pull. Like I was thisclose to pulling a muscle. YIKES! A hot shower is defintely in order.

Sore & Sleepy :sosweepy:

Dang...my eyes are burning something awful. I want to crawl under my desk all George Costanza-like.

Then when I do get up to head to the rest room I'm hobbling along. Even that funky part @ the back of my ankle hurts.

How ironic is it that the part that's good, the muscle, gets sore, while the freaking flab just chills out?!?!

Salad.

In other news, I had the nummiest salad, and I'm not one to make salads. Ever. I was quite starving for lunch. Okay prior my fast food binge of the last two weeks I'd eat breakfast around 7:30 lunch around 11:30 some snack around 1:30 post workout snack around 5 and dinner around 7.

Sucking down fast food caused my appetite to disappear. I wasn't ever hungry, I just craved & gave in. This morning my hunger returned. Good sign. So now I'm trying to push lunch back to 1, but today was NOT they day for that experiment. 12:30 was a fair trade off and actually works out better in the long run.

So I prepped my salad, poured a glass of milk & nuked the tv dinner and frozen broccoli.

I ate the hot meal first and then settled back to munch on the salad while bloghopping. OMG the salad was even better than the food. It was sweet, yet salty. Tangy and crunchy and oh so filling.

Here's what I cobbled together:
A handfull raw spinach leaves
A couple pieces of carrots
1 slice of swiss cheese (broken in bits)
1 or 2 teaspoons (yes the small one) of [INSERT YOUR BRAND DRESSING HERE] I used Wishbone Peppercorn Parmesan

-- and now the piece de resistance --

A few raisins & cashews.

It's the last 2 additions that did the trick. That took it from being, meh and turned it into YEEHAW! I'll cautiously get more creative. I have 2 tomatoes @ home I may get jiggy with tomorrow.

Tune in to the show and log on to oprah.com February 7th for much more from Oprah's Boot Camp!

Hmm letsee...Discovery Body Challenge, 500 miles, 05 in 05, Couch to 5k & the Daily 5...Sorry Oprah I'm all booked up

Man, nothing and I mean nothing says Good Morning like 52gms of fiber. I'm finally starting to feel less sluggish. Yesterday, with each swallow of fiber, I visualized it sticking to the accumulated sludge over the last few weeks and stripping them off the intenstinal walls. Today I'm on track to hit over 50 gms again. I just plugged in my meals thru lunch and I'm already @ 47. Huzzah!

I'll aim for 50 gms or more this week and next week start bringing it back down to a respectable 30-40gms. Just cutting Fiber One back to one serving will do the trick.

I was soooo tempted to step on the scale and peek @ the number that should be absolutely meaningless. But I didn't. As I was suiting up for the gym I figured why bother. It's only been what? One whole day of clean eats and 2 days of deliberate water. Big whoop! If I saw a loss, I'd get cocky. If I saw a gain? I'd be pissed. If there was no change? Bitter. So I'll let nature take it's course.

On a totally unrelated note, I officially started my daily 5 challenge yesterday & made tracking chart. Since I post enough things here on a daily basis, I'll work on it offline and @ the end of each month post the results.

I made it. I fought off sleep yesterday afternoon so by 9 I was nice and drowsy. The Sunday Night Jitters™ kept me up for a bit and I tossed and turned most of the night so when the alarm went off, I was NOT happy. I hesitated in bed for a few minutes but was to antsy to sleep. I was in the gym by 5.

My legs and lower back are pretty sore. Partially from yesterday but Saturday I was doing housework and lots of lifting. I double checked what my target ♥ rate should be and decided today's aim would be 155-165.

Ha!

I kept that up for about 20 minutes and really started to wipe out. Fine. I'll go no lower than 150. 15 minutes later ok ok, no lower than 135. Heh.

I stayed in the mid 140's to 160-something @ times. Doable, but it still kicked my butt. For the rest of this week I'll keep my range from 140-155, in the next few weeks I'll aim for the higher end.

Other than that the walk was fine. The remote must have broken or got stolen so I was stuck watching one channel. Good b/c I am a flipper and lose track of what I was watching. Bad b/c I hate commercials.

I'm still a bit dehydrated, my fingers got stiff, not as bad as yesterday and my sweat glands attempted to pour but not much trickled down.

My lower body is pretty sore, front thighs, back thighs even my shins are a bit sore. Just think, I still have weights this afternoon and possibly Yoga. Yippy!

Day 3

Tally of last weeks poll question: What is your top fitness priority?
Cardio - 81.8%
Strength Training - 18.2%
Flexibility - 0%

Total votes: 11

This weeks poll question: How much weight would you like to lose?

Day 2

It wasn't easy getting out of bed this morning. Even though I went to sleep pretty early last night. Not as early as I planned, 9, more like 10:30. To compensate I pushed back my wake up time to 6.

Once again I woke up with a song playing in my head. That Linkin Park/Jay Z song. I have no idea why. I haven't heard it recently. When the alarm went off I really really wanted to stay snuggled, but if I didn't start today I'd keep putting it off. So I flung myself out of bed, took my daily pudge pic and with bleary eyes and a foggy brain went down to the gym.

First thing I did was Couch to 5k @ 3.0 mph. It's been a few weeks since I've worked out and even longer since I've done it consistently. I restarted Couch to 5k last november for about 4 weeks or so, but to play it safe I kept my mph low today as I eased back into it. My ♥ rate stayed around 120's and I didn't feel like I was exerting myself to hard.

Yet I did have those dreaded first day back irritations. Stiff/swollen fingers. Dehydration for sure. And itchy skin. Geez Louise. Every time I finished the jogging session my butt & thighs itched like crazy. Dammed fat. *sigh*

I know in a few days the skin will get used to the circulation. As for the fingers, I started back guzzling water yesterday to prepare them. But I prolly only got in around 20-30 oz. It'll take a few more days of consistent drinking before the swelling stops.

After Couch to 5k I walked 45 minutes and rather than look @ miles or mph I worked to keep my ♥ rate between 150-160. Within 5 minutes the sweatdrop started. It's only b/c I'm so severely dehydrated that kept me from being drenched. I know those sweat glands just wanted to pour.

It was a vigorous walk, whenever my ♥ rate dropped below 150 I upped the speed and pumped my arms, if it went over 160 I dropped the speed. After about 30 minutes I felt I could do an hour but changed my mind. I don't want the excitement of the first day to wipe me out for the rest of the week. Especially since I'm in the easing-myself-back-into-workouts mode this week. When I was done, I felt GREAT. Like I did something good for my heart. Plus I'm proud I got my arse out of bed and didn't lay around.

Next stop was the grocery store to pick up food items based on the 1500-1600 meal plans I made last week. I'm telling you after a few weeks of nothing but fast food and soda I'm not craving anything. Matter of fact I'm still feeling queasy thinking about it. Yesterday I had sushi and the thought of a coke to wash it down turned my stomach.

My NutriSystem order is still on the FedEx truck. Has been since Friday. I'm not sweating it. I'm going to go it alone for 4 weeks, then do NutriSystem for 4 weeks, then go it alone again.

I've just finished plugging every single item into Fitday and making todays meal plan. A bit high on the carbs, but it's grain and veggies (52 gms of fiber). I so need to get this crap out of my system. Literally.

A daily record of the diminishing flab.
I'm freaking out @ starting this, but why the hell not. Every morning I'll take 2 flicks, from the right & back side, & post them here. If nothing else, it'll be an interesting pictorial to watch the subtle changes add up over time.

Day 1

The site logo is up. It was a cringe worthy task, but I am extremely optimistic. I mean from here on out there's no way to go but down.

Before = my side (rolls & all) as of today.
As of = my sides (less rolls please!) when I finish my 10 week training block, and will be updated @ the end of each training block till I reach goal.
Goal = me @ goal, pretty self explanatory.

I was right on point with yesterdays guesstimate of a 4-5lb gain.

4. More.

And oh how I CRINGE @ the thought of how much weight I need to lose just to break into new territory. Or when I think of how much I've gained since I put it into my head to lose weight back in October of 2003, or a how much I've gained since this time last year or even just freaking 2 weeks ago.

Those thoughts overwhelms me, depresses me and frustrates me to all hell.

So this morning I woke up and weighed in, Friday is the official day, and saw what I expected and for a moment had a scary thought of how far from my goal I am. Then I reigned myself in and chanted 5 in '05.

I went to Fitday, revised my target date and weight from saying 130lbs by 12/31/05 to say 176.5lbs by 02/26/05.

Suddenly that mountain turned into a hill.

Forget the bulging waist lines, run to save your heart now, as a new research has revealed that people who have low capacity for aerobic exercise have greater risk of heart disease. [emphasis mine]

Link

I know of these 3 training programs that ease you into running:
Couch to 5k
Hal Higdon Spring Training
Run for the cure

Last year I did Couch to 5k and I'm starting it again this weekend. When I graduate I'll do Hal's program next.

This year I will become a runnner dammit!

But...I got off!!

Not before learning some valuable lessons:

1. Go 77mph in a 55 zone? $328.
2. Going over 80mph in a 55 zone? $400 smackeroos.
3. That laser the cops use to bust you? It's fool proof. Once it locks onto your car, you're a goner.
4. Driving without a license. $450.

Me?

I had an expired license, which according to Officer Friendly was the equivalent of driving WITHOUT a license. I was crapping in my pants hearing verdict after verdict.

But since I had a valid license today, she dismissed me. Sweet Jeebus!

Why oh why does this short week feel like it's taking FOREVER to end. *sigh* Murphys Law I s' pose.

Since December I have been dreading today, I have a court date @ 1pm, and that could be why this week has been dragging. Joy!

To celebrate (punish) I've been guzzling cokes & pepsis like there is no tomorrow. I'm exhausted, stressed and bloated. Add in the last week and ½ of eating my stress and I am a MESS.

I think once the hearing/session/whatever it's called is over, I'll feel okay. But I've got to come up with a better form of coping. I can almost bet I've gained 4-5lbs in the last 2 weeks. Plus I perpetually feel queasy. Could be the butterflies that have taken up residence or it could be that nightly sweet treat.

55 minutes & counting.

I'll have a better grasp of how to set this up so that it makes sense, as I go through it and work out the kinks.

I subscribe to fitness magazine and they always have a ton of fit tidbits I drool to do. In the next few weeks I'll prune through the old issues to get some more content for the extras section. Other than that my daily 5 is set, the extras are not my primary focus till I am in better shape and make the daily 5 a solid habit.

The goal is to focus on completing the 5 tasks @ least 5 days each week.

The Daily 5 Game
1. 55 oz water
2. 1500 calories
3. 5 am workout
4. 2.5 - 5 mile walk
5. 5 flights of stairs

Extras:
- 5 servings of fruits and vegetables
- Bed by 9:30
- 5-10 minutes of morning mediation

Bonus: Do all 5 things & extra for 5 out of 7 days
Double Bonus: Do all 5 things for the entire week
Triple Bonus: Do all 5 things & an extra for the entire week

Score/Earnings
Daily 5: .50
Bonus: .50 + .05 (per day per extra)
Double Bonus: .50 + 1.00
Triple Bonus: .50 + 1.50

Ode to the 3 day weekend, may we meet again...soon.

Time to crawl back to the real world, hey at least it's a short week. I still didn't take my picture. The batteries died and I don't have a power cord. Now I have new batteries, but I don't like taking pictures during the week. I'm anal that way.

In other news, over the weekend I both got hooked and turned off of blogexplosion. It's a nice concept but I honestly spend most of my time hoarding credits that I haven't really read anyones blog. So after about 2 weeks of playing with it and scratching the surface of it's competitor, blogclicker, I've had my fill of blog surfing.

And lastly, last night I almost died in my sleep. No I'm not being dramatic and even thinking about it has my heart racing. I called my mother to tell her the sad news and she says, "Aw the same thing happened to me, google it." *frowns* But I know I was dying, I saw the far away white light and could not move or open my eyes.

So I google it.

Pffft!

She's right.

Again.

Tally of last weeks poll question: How long do you keep your resolutions?
1 minute - 2 (tie)
More than a month, less than a year - 2 (tie)
1 week - 1
I don't make 'em. I break 'em. - 1

Total votes: 6

This weeks poll question: What is your top fitness priority?

I had it all planned out, Friday night, movie night. Even more special since I FINALLY got Sex & the City season 6 part two heading my way this week from Netflix. I've waited for this moment for months. I was chuckling @ someones journal who missed Biggest Loser and was hoping to avoid hearing anything about it by the weekend.

I'll do her one better. I've been trying to avoid knowing what happened w/Carrie and the gang since the show ended. LAST YEAR!!! I was doing so good, I made it till the summer and some obscure foreign paper had a picture.

That was all I needed to see to figure out what happened. I was IRATE :annoyed: to say the least. But I tried to force myself into a form of denial and pretend the picture had no meaning and I didn't read the article so I still don't know.

So now the last two weeks that they've promoted the DVD release I happened across the title of an article that gave it away again. Couple that with the picture and . Oh well. I fought the good fight for as long as I could.

Last weekend it came off long wait status and shipped out on Tuesday. Don't even get me ranting about how Netflix held it over from shipping out on Monday. Anyhoo, I check my mail once a week and when I go today, I see part 2 but no part 1. :annoyed:

The dvd gods can't be this cruel can they?

Now I have to wait one more day, possibly till Tuesday if it doesn't come Saturday and Monday is a holiday. I do have a bunch of other flicks to watch and I am going to the weekend this weekend but STILL I wanted to hang with Carrie and the girls (I'm totally a Miranda).

[Update 6:16pm - The bonus disk just arrived. Where the @$#$# is 1!?!?!?]

(When I started this it was really simple, but now I'm getting all sorts of ideas so bear with me. The premise started with doing 5 things a day for @ least 5 days a week, I've now made it into a game where I earn points money...ha!)

Building on my 2005 Fitness Goals & tying it all in with 5 in 05! I made up a little game to motivate my inner competitor. The goal is to do 5 things in one day, @ least 5 days a week.

(Okay, am I totally going overboard with the 5's now? )

The Daily 5 Game
1. 55 oz water - Twice a day. 110oz overall is the goal, but 55oz is the minimum.
2. 1500 calories - No less than. I tend to under eat on weekends.
3. 5 am workout - Buh-bye night owl.
4. 2.5 mile walk - (Hey it counts, it does end in 5. heh) Actually, I'm starting @ 2.5 but the real goal is 5 miles
5. 5 flights of stairs - Up & down is one flight.

Extra: 5 servings fruits and vegetables

Bonus: Do all 5 things for 6 out of 7 days
Double Bonus: Do all 5 things for the entire week
Triple Bonus: Do all 5 things for the entire week plus the extra

Then I got to thinking. How can I reward myself? Maybe $1.00 an item? Nahhh...too rich for my blood. but...I can afford .50 cents (you know I wasn't finished with the 5s right?) I mean who can't afford .50 cents?

So here's a rough guideline, most likely I'll revamp it later:

.50 cents for every day I complete the daily 5
1.00 for 6th day (double bonus)
1.50 for 7th day (triple bonus)

For each extra completed:
.05 cents per day up to the 6th day
.50 cents for 7th

Once I complete the daily 5, on the 6th day I'll be able to earn .05 for every one mile walked & 5 miles biked.

Time to bring it all home.

Say I do the daily 5 and nothing else, I get $2.50

Say I do the daily 5 PLUS the extra for the entire week, I get $5.50. By that point, I'll also be able to score some coins off the miles I walked/biked. For instance, if I walk 10 miles and bike 15 (.50 + .75) that week I'll earn a grand total of $6.75.

$6.75!?!?! Big deal you say?

But, but, but that will go towards my new clothing fund. Because we all know how svelte :X I'll look when I drop these pesky 50lbs. At this rate if I'm on track to lose a pound a week (nice and slow), it'll take me 50 weeks to reach my goal. Whip out your calculator and do the math, I'll wait.

BINGO! That's $350 smackeroos.

Now if I only do the bare minimum each week ($2.50), I'll net $125 by the end of the year. But I think we can all agree on which number is more motivating right? Uh huh, I thought so. I'm going for the big cha CHING!

Fun & games aside, the most important benefit is I get to reward positive changes vs. focusing on the number on the scale.

Will it work? Is this the answer I've been searching for well over a year now? Something, anything that will get my mind of the freaking scale and trained on something else?

I think so, because I so love the moolah. Once I cancel the old domain (this Sunday) and tighten my belt a bit I think I can afford to pay myself $20 bucks a month since it's in such small increments.

I'm going to work on this some more, it's jumbled up in this post but I had to get the idea out of my head. Plus, I'm sure there other bonus extra I can come up with to keep this interesting.

Expect revisions shortly...

- Resources section has been updated with more challenges.
- Training journal is up and raring to go.
- Comments are now gravatar enabled. If you don't have on, the default image is: , sorry guys it'll show up for you too . See it in action on this post.

Someone not too far from me is talking, in a very know it all tone, about weight loss products and exercising. Now I've known this person for a while and every few months or so they either go to a gym see something on tv or have an event, like new years, come around and they are all talk. Talking about how the INSERT-NEW-FAD-DIET-NAME-HERE diet works and why it works or how much they can run or lift or whatever.

I'm not sure who they talk to, if the person has ever seen them. But I have and I can pretty much say they are blowing air.

Now another person I know started WW in 03 and around summer time saw me w/my NutriSystem food so we chatted briefly and exchanged tips. They told me they were losing about a pound a week but I never heard a peep out of them. When I ran into them around the end of the year and I swear they look like they've been cut in ½.

I have a point.

I always look for life lessons and how situations can apply to me. As I'm overhearing this conversation right now I feel I'm more like the blowhard than the quiet person.

Whether I am posting articles or answering questions in emails or on forums, I'm spending more time and effort on that when I don't even look the part. I don't want to wake up 6 months later around the same weight and all the extra knowledge.

I need to get my arse in gear.

Which I am.